The Advisory Multi-Year Policy Plan Arts and Culture 2021-2024 for The Hague was presented online on Friday 24 April. What stands out for dance in this City of Dance?
Inclusion and diversity
What is striking in any case is that in the plan the word 'inclusion' appears 110 times and 'diversity' 96 times. Then you know what time it is. Yet the Advisory Committee also admits that "assessing institutions in terms of diversity and inclusion and also business management using hard targets or fixed criteria was an impossibility".
So how was it assessed? The Commission took the 'intrinsic artistic quality of the institution in question' as its starting point. For the field of dance, it means that this task fell on the shoulders of only one member of the Commission: dance dramaturge Merel Heering, who began her career with cultural education at NDT and, according to Peggy Olislaegers, not the least in Dutch dance land, has a 'sensitivity for people and for relationships'.
Making choices
The arts plan is a long process of writing. For companies that employ routinists like Annette Embrechts and Naomi Russell to draft the applications, the committee members themselves ('language and writing is very important to me') and the external copywriters who have to articulate the plan well. Most importantly, all have their hearts in the right place for dance, and all want to provide The Hague with quality dance.
Still, there have been hits. Particularly for three companies: The Dutch Don't Dance Division, Lonneke van Leth Dance, and MEYER-CHAFFAUD.
Rinus Sprong, artistic director of the Dutch Don't Dance Division, said earlier that the past period was all about the 4 Cs: Culture, Commission, Corona and despite everything Contact. On Facebook, their page is now on fire with many distraught reactions and lack of understanding. Alderman Robert van Asten personally conveyed the bad news to the company's management, which just goes to show that there is a broad support is for this nearly 25-year-old dance collective.
What does the future look like now?
The applications were fully honoured for Korzo ('indispensable function within The Hague's cultural infrastructure'), Kalpanarts ('artistic signature') and OFFprojects ('modern dance 'out of the box'). Partly accepted are Nederlands Dans Theater, Holland Dance Festival and Aight ('platform and knowledge centre in the field of hip-hop'). Not honoured at all include Lonneke van Leth Dans ('youth dance'), MEYER-CHAFFAUD ('modern dance company') and The Dutch Don't Dance Division ('knows how to connect in an inspired way').
What does this mean?
For each application, a substantive assessment took place first, then the calculator was called in. However, a cynic might think that the total amount 'taken away' from three dance companies now flows to others who get more than the current period. Here's the thing: Nederlands Dans Theater is moving to the new cultural building Amare and asked for extra money for moving and furnishing costs.
However, it found that in the application, the change in management had been summarily explained, it lacked elaborate strategies and a transparent budget. It therefore kept its back straight by granting the multinational of the Hague dance world less than it asked for, but three tonnes more than in the current subsidy period. After all, NDT's unparalleled quality and image are valuable enough for the city of The Hague to give generously.
Of course, that doesn't make the pain any less for the others.
Worrying
What is further worrying is that the opinion 'comes out at a time when society is severely disrupted by the corona crisis'. That it is clear 'that without this bitterly needed additional support, its entire opinion for the multi-year policy plan period 2021-2024 is built on quicksand'. What does the Commission say? 'Extra support and specific additional measures by the (central) government are needed to help the cultural sector cope with the consequences of the corona crisis.'
Dancing on quicksand
For the three Hague dance companies now in danger of disappearing, it has been years of working and dancing on quicksand. With difficulty, they have had to meet demands from changing committees and perform miracles to keep their heads above water financially. Dancers in particular have had to work with, by Dutch standards, lousy wages or 'allowances'. Such a structure is ultimately unsustainable for anyone; you don't wish something like that on anyone.
One bright spot for the dropouts is that it is still only an opinion. A decision process will follow where influence can be exercised until October 2020. Another bright spot is that covers good dance maker Amos Ben-Tal with his OFFprojects receives €50,000.00 from nowhere. A very modest attitude to ask for so little (what can you do with 50 grand these days?) but the award is hopeful.
Response OFFprojects:
"At OFFprojects we are extremely happy with the positive advice that we got in regard to our application for the Kunstenplan 21-24 of Gemeente Den Haag. This is the first time we have applied for structural support. This 'push in the back' will allow us to develop our collective with more continuity and sustainability, while also developing a broader audience for our work (and hopefully for dance in general).
In this period of uncertainty it is wonderful to be able to look forward to a future full of creative opportunities and exciting challenges. We believe OFFprojects' out of the box approach to dance and our modular productions are well suited to confront and question this new reality we all live in".
Many have gone before him with such hope, enthusiasm and ambition. That is to his credit, and it is peculiar to the dance. The thankless task for a Commission is how to continue all those ambitions. Later this spring, other cities will announce their choices in this. After that, the Performing Arts Fund will follow.
Read here is the full opinion with all applications.
(Photo above: OFF Projects, Milena Twiehaus)
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